What To Expect

Becoming a carer can be quite a daunting prospect for some people. When taking on the caring role there is often a great emotional, physical and financial cost to the carer. Many carers will take on the role even though there are other, more practical options available. They do this out of respect and a sense of duty for the person they are caring for. That makes carers very special, and they collectively save the UK Government almost £90 billion every year.

Work & Benefits

One of the first choices you will have to make when becoming a carer, is whether you will be a full-time or part-time carer. Obviously this will depend on the needs of the person you are caring for and your financial stability. As a carer, you will be entitled to apply for benefits in the form of a carer's allowance, although this is subject to strict criteria of eligibility. You may need to decide whether to give up your job, or be forced to look for alternative employment that will give you greater flexibility in your caring duties. Before you make a decision, please take care to check out your entitlement to carer's allowance and the eligibility criteria as set out on the Directgov Public Services website here

Relationships

It is very likely that your relationships will be affected once you become a carer. This may not be apparent immediately, but as time progresses, limitations on your free time, and the stresses involved in caring, will inevitably put some strain on your relationships both with the person you are caring for, and close friends and family members. It is important to make friends and family aware of the changes to your lifestyle, and how it may affect your relationship with them. By doing this, it will give them the opportunity to make allowances for these changes, and better understand how you are reacting to certain situations. Make them aware that your relationships will be affected, but any adverse effects can be minimised with their help, support and understanding. If you feel that your relationships are being adversely affected by your caring duties, it may be a good idea to seek out some counselling. You should be able to get information on counselling services in your area from your Local Authority, a local branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau, or your G.P.

Social Life & Holidays

As a carer your social life may be affected. Although you will no doubt have less time to socialise, it is very important that you maintain some sort of social life and make sure you have time away from your caring duties. This will obviously be helped by having good support from friends and family members if they can recognise the responsibilities you have and make allowances to fit in with your regular caring duties. Holidays will also be affected, but once again, they are an important part of maintaining a healthy balance to your lifestyle in general. Obviously there will be some additional considerations when planning a holiday, but there is help available for carers in the form of respite services. For more details, please see the information on Respite, under the 'Looking After Yourself' pages in this section of the website.

How You Might Be Affected

There is no doubt that becoming a carer will affect you emotionally. As a carer, you are likely to experience feelings of resentment, guilt, anger, frustration, or isolation. It is important that you do not keep these feelings bottled up, or be ashamed of them. They are quite natural and many carers will go through the same emotions. Any activity that you can do to create positive feelings should offset the negative ones and could help you avoid further negative effects such as sadness, anxiety, despair or depression. Again, if you feel that you are having problems coping, or your caring abilities are being adversely affected because of how you are feeling, then some counselling may help and you and should find out what services are available to you by contacting your Local Authority, a local branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau, or your G.P.

Help

As a carer, you will more than likely need some form of help along the way. It is important to accept this, and not try to cope with everything on your own without any outside help. Help could be from your friends, family, or from an external organisation such as the local authority, a Support Group, or a charity. There are many charities that support Carers regardless of whether they are caring for someone who has Dementia or any other condition. Organisations such as Carers UK, Crossroads Care, and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers all offer information, help and advice to support you in all aspects of caring for someone.